The flag of Ireland consists of three equal vertical stripes of green, white, and orange. Officially recognized by the 1937 Constitution, it originated in 1848 when Thomas Francis Meagher introduced it as a symbol of reconciliation—green for Catholic nationalists, orange for Protestant unionists, and white for the hope of peace between them. After the Easter Rising of 1916 and the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, the tricolour gained prominence as a national emblem. Protocol requires the green stripe at the hoist and respectful handling at all times. Variations in shade have appeared historically, but the design has remained stable. The tricolour is central to state ceremonies and public life and is widely displayed during national occasions, notably St Patrick’s Day, as a symbol of sovereignty and the aspiration to unity across the island.
The Irish tricolour—green, white, and orange in three equal vertical bands—condenses a long history of national aspiration, sectarian division, constitutional change, and the pursuit of reconciliation into a simple geometry that has endured as the state’s defining emblem since the early twentieth century.
The design was introduced to Irish public life in 1848 by Thomas Francis Meagher of the Young Ireland movement. Inspired by the revolutionary tricolours of continental Europe—especially the French flag—Meagher and his colleagues sought a visual language that could transcend factional loyalties. Green had long been associated with Irish nationalism, appearing on flags bearing the gold harp. Orange recalled the followers of William of Orange and the Protestant communities that shaped Irish history, particularly in Ulster. White, set between them, was meant as a pledge of peace and a hope that the two traditions might live together in mutual respect. Though the tricolour appeared in demonstrations, it did not displace older symbols under British rule and remained an aspirational banner rather than a legally established flag.
Its political meaning sharpened during the Easter Rising of April 1916, when insurgents proclaimed an Irish Republic and raised the tricolour over the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin. The Rising was suppressed, but the image of the green-white-orange above the GPO entered nationalist memory, linking the flag with a revived claim to sovereignty. During the War of Independence (1919–1921), the tricolour was increasingly used by Irish Republican Army units, Sinn Féin organizations, and sympathetic civic groups, even as the legal status of the symbol remained unsettled amid the struggle and subsequent treaty negotiations.
The Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921 created the Irish Free State, a dominion within the British Commonwealth. In this new constitutional order, the tricolour was used by the Free State government and its forces, while some anti-Treaty factions adopted alternative republican symbols. Through state practice and public display, the tricolour consolidated its role as the principal emblem of the Free State. The Constitution of 1937 (Bunreacht na hÉireann), which reframed the state as simply Ireland (Éire) and asserted greater independence, gave the tricolour formal recognition as the national flag, ending a period of ambiguity and aligning legal status with popular usage.
The symbolism of the colours has been interpreted in various ways. Official guidance emphasizes the tricolour’s message of inclusion: green for the Gaelic and nationalist tradition, orange for the Williamite and unionist heritage, and white for peace between them. The state’s advice on flag etiquette—issued and periodically updated by the Department of the Taoiseach—requires that the flag be treated with dignity, flown with the green at the hoist, and replaced when worn or soiled. Half-masting instructions mark occasions of national mourning, and the flag must never touch the ground. These protocols have shaped a culture of respectful display on public buildings, schools, and diplomatic missions.
Though the shades of green and orange have varied in manufacture over the decades, practice has converged on a strong, medium green and a vivid orange that reads clearly at a distance and in photographic reproduction. Proportions are generally 1:2 or 2:3 depending on context, but the key requirement is equality among the three vertical bands. No central emblem is placed on the national flag, distinguishing it from variants used by certain state authorities for ceremonial standards.
In Northern Ireland, the tricolour’s reception has been conditioned by political identity and constitutional allegiance. Unionist communities generally reject it in favour of British symbols, while nationalists frequently display the tricolour as an expression of Irish identity. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which established devolved government and frameworks for cross-border cooperation, did not alter the tricolour’s status in the Republic but encouraged a tone of mutual recognition. In cross-community settings, neutral or jointly agreed symbols are often preferred, yet the tricolour remains a legitimate emblem for Irish institutions and citizens.
Internationally, the flag represents Ireland at embassies, multilateral organizations, and sporting events. Protocol coordinates its display with the European Union flag and other national flags, setting order of precedence and height. In the diaspora, the tricolour functions as a unifying sign at cultural festivals and parades, most famously on St Patrick’s Day when cities around the world adopt green and the Irish flag appears in civic ceremonies and community gatherings.
While some national flags accumulate layers of heraldic imagery, the Irish tricolour’s power lies in its clarity and in the ethical claim of the central white band. It encodes a political programme—coexistence and respect for difference—within a design that is easy to reproduce, recognize, and teach. That clarity has allowed the tricolour to move through moments of contention into a widely accepted symbol of the Irish state. In this sense, its history mirrors Ireland’s constitutional evolution from rebellion to dominion to a sovereign republic integrated into European institutions, without losing sight of the island’s plural heritage. The flag endures as both a marker of independence and a reminder of the ongoing work of reconciliation that its colours were chosen to proclaim.